Xabi, in his wisdom, has already solved the possibility of any clash this season. Last season, when Mbappé wore the number 9, the two often had wing overlaps and occasional clashes in positioning. By giving Mbappé the number 10 this season, Xabi not only avoided the jersey prestige issue but also clarified roles on the pitch, reducing the chance of rivalry. It’s a smart move that should let both focus on teamwork rather than competing for space or status invariably giving the so called bloggers nothing to talk about.
Xabi is a very experienced player before becoming a manager he understands what it means for his players to play together as a team rather than playing individual football that's why he was able to identify the issue that affected the performance of Real Madrid team last season when Ancelotti was the team manager. Giving Mbappe the new number is commendable not only will this solve the issue of rivalry among his players it will also help them to work as a team knowing that the position of each player has been defined and the players knows who to take penalty kicks, free kicks and the rest. The cooperation among Mbappe and Vini Junior is improved in their games this is as a result of the recent development in the team.